origamiunicorn

It’s 3 am…

origamiunicorn ♦ October 12, 2023 ♦ Leave a comment

And I’m wide awake. But to be fair, I’m usually up at 3 am anyway.

Japan ‘23 Day 0: A very long and wonderful travel day

origamiunicorn ♦ October 12, 2023 ♦ Leave a comment

Despite traveling for almost 24 hours straight, it was a great day.

3 hours of waiting at the airport in Boston, and then another 3 hours in Montreal but I secretly love being at airports, so it wasn’t bad. I have been taking online Japanese classes through the Japan Society of NY. Through those classes, I’ve had a chance to chat with some of my fellow students. Turns out that one of them was on the same flight from Montreal to Tokyo so we made a plan to meet at the airport. It was great to actually meet in person and share the excitement with someone.

Then, on the 12 hour flight from Montreal to Japan, I sat next to a Japanese mother and daughter, probably similar in age to my mom and me. The mother heard me say something in Japanese and started a conversation with me. We spoke mostly in Japanese. The daughter is an artist. Near the end of our flight she gave me her business card and a postcard that she had designed. It was just a lovely interaction and perhaps an opportunity to make a new friend.

From the airport, I took the express train to Tokyo Station, then wandered around the station for an hour trying to find a kiosk to buy Shinkansen tickets. Go figure, you have to exit through the turnstiles to get to the ticket booths. I finally realized it after I had made a full loop around the VERY LARGE station. Then I wandered aimlessly until I found my hotel.

I had lots planned for my first night. I was going to walk to Ginza and go to a club. However, I realized after I got to my hotel that I was just not going to be able to rally. Instead I stepped out and got a beer at nearby Suntory Malts restaurant. While there I had another lovely conversation with a Japanese businessman, half in Japanese and half in English. We talked about travel and anime. Before he left he showed me that his seemingly normal tie was actual a Demon Slayer tie, with a picture of Zenitsu on the skinny end!

Hit Family Mart on the way home and got some mochi ice cream and now I am going to crash hard. 

Tomorrow: shinkansen to Osaka.

Stay Tuned…

origamiunicorn ♦ October 10, 2023 ♦ Leave a comment

Leaving for the airport at 3:30 am tomorrow.

Paris – Day 1

origamiunicorn ♦ February 14, 2020

I got to the airport a few hours before my 7:30 pm flight. After a couple of glasses of wine at Vino Volo I was hoping to be able to sleep on the flight, but ended up just getting a few 20 minute naps. I landed in Paris around 8:15 am on Friday morning and took the RER B train to Cite Universitaire stop where Eve met me. I hadn’t seen her in a month and a half so instantly it became a great day.

We went up to her dorm room so I could drop off my bags and change out of my travel clothes and then we walked around the campus a bit. It was sunny and about 45 degrees out. Not bad for February when you are used to New Hampshire weather. The trees were bare, but the lawns were green. That plus beautiful architecture made for a lovely walk.

We got breakfast at the campus cafeteria: Cappuccino and a hearty slice of vegetable quiche. After that we did more walking around campus followed by a stop at the crepe stand outside the dorm so we could say hello to one of the chefs there who had befriended Eve. Eve had asked me to bring him a Boston magnet from Logan because he collects city magnets from his customers and he didn’t have a Boston one. I picked one with clam chowder, beer, the state house and Paul Revere on it — seemed to cover the bases.

After retrieving my bags, we hopped on the train and went into the heart of Paris to my hotel, which was not far from where Eve has classes. Our room was on the 7th floor with a lovely view. We threw our bags down and left to walk around the area. One block away is the Ecole Militaire (military training facility) and across from it, the Wall of Peace and the Eiffel Tower. While the neighborhood around the university is recognizably European, the area around the Eiffel Tower is recognizably Parisian. Every corner has a Brasserie with seats outside, next to boulangeries (bakeries), flower shops and small cafes.

I was sleepy and wanted caffeine but my stomach hurt from traveling so we stopped at a cafe and I got green tea with fresh mint and Eve got a double espresso. We bought a baguette at a bakery Eve likes and got some Camembert cheese. Back at the hotel we had our snack and I took a much needed nap to get some energy before heading out again. At this point I had logged about 15,000 steps and with only a few hours of sleep on the plane I needed to recuperate.

I got my second wind and we headed back out. Now it was dark and the bars and restaurant signs were illuminated, the outdoor seats still full, the streets still bustling and the Eiffel Tower lit up. We stopped at the bar/restaurant across the street, Le Commanderie, and sat outside and had a glass of champagne. After that we walked past the Eiffel Tower again, visited a few shops, and went to an Italian restaurant, Tasca, where we had made a reservation.

Tasca is a gluten-free Italian restaurant, an admittedly odd choice for a dinner out in Paris, but the menu looked great, it had good reviews and lots of vegetarian options. We had wine and bread (delicious on its own, not just as a gluten free substitute). There was a plate with ricotta cheese for the bread plus olive oil for dipping. Eve ordered artichoke stuffed gnocchi and I got a 4 cheese pizza. We shared and it was delicious. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped for gelato at a popular shop and split chocolate and cerise (cherry) gelato topped with a macaron.

Las Vegas – Day 1

origamiunicorn ♦ December 3, 2019 ♦ Leave a comment

I arrived in Las Vegas late Saturday night. Flight delays in Minneapolis. I had every intention of going out for a drink, but by the time I got to my room and unpacked it was 1:30 am (4:30 am EST).  I crashed and then, of course, woke up bright and early at 7 am.

I got a “small” 2 egg breakfast at Hash-a-Go-Go.  When it arrived I felt like I was a small person in a giant’s restaurant.  The plate looked like it was made for someone twice my size.  After breakfast I went to the Venetian to register. Picked up some swag and met up with some friends/coworkers. 

After everyone was registered, I joined them for breakfast (second breakfast for me) at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant.  I own one of his incredible cookbooks so I had to order something even though I swore I was done for the day after Hash-a-Go-Go. 

Earl Grey tea and butter croissant later, my friends left to go shop and I met up with another group of friends. We camped out in the Yardbird lounge and I got a glass of champagne. Left there an met up with the shopping contingent.  They were busy at Caesar’s Forum shopping center. I window shopped and soaked in the weirdness.  Fake Roman ruins everywhere, a strange backlit ceiling with a blue sky and clouds (it was hard to tell day from night unless you saw a window), high end designer shops having holiday sales that brought the prices down from extremely high end to very high end.  At one point there was music and hubbub and some robotic gods sprung up out of the artificial Roman ruins and acted out a dramatic exchange with video effects and the Cheesecake Factory and Nike logos in the bathroom.  Just… bizarre.

After the shops I took a power nap in my room at The Linq and walked back to the Venetian.  We had dinner at the bar and watched the frustrating Patriots game. Prosecco was flowing… flatbread pizza was yummy. At 9, my friend and I left to get in line for Midnight Madness (start time 10:15).  We were given electronic bracelets that lit up in different colors throughout the evening. The long wait was kinda worth it just to say we did it and get the (very cool) t-shirt, but the event itself was strange.  There was great music playing, cool light show, beer and wine bar.

First entertainment was the UNLV marching band. I’m a sucker for a marching band so I was psyched. Next act was a bunch of roller skaters with 80’s garb skating to “I think we’re alone now” and “Push it”.  Then a group of guys jumping on trampolines and dunking basketballs.  We couldn’t get through the crowds to see that one so we watched on the jumbotrons planted all around the venue. 

There was a scavenger hunt where you had to look for people in the crowds with certain characteristics.  Throughout all this were updates on the chicken wing eating contest going on at the back of the hall. 

Fatigue and the 20000 steps I walked that day started to take over. We decided to bail before the midnight announcements. I walked back to the Linq and crashed.

Rome: Colosseum

origamiunicorn ♦ August 11, 2019 ♦ Leave a comment

Our last full day in Rome began with a 4 hour tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Forum. The tour was just me, Sarah and our guide, Liz. The colosseum is a spectacular ruin and imagining what it was like back when it was inaction is simultaneously awesome and horrifying. Our guide is an architect, so she focused a lot of the tour on the construction materials and the physical buildings and landscape. That aspect of the colosseum is the part that impressed and inspired me: an arena that rivals our modern day billion dollar football stadiums, complete with marble floors, columns, trap doors and elevators to bring wild animals and unexpected opponents into the gladiator games.

The aspect of the colosseum that I had a hard time stomaching was the nature of the gladiator games. Gladiators were slaves, typically of war, forced to battle each other, often to the death. There is some evidence that the games were somewhat less brutal than portrayed in shows like Spartacus or films like Gladiator. The fighters were an investment and brought in money, so killing half of them off every game might not have made much financial sense. Admission was free for the citizens and this was an acceptable source of entertainment to a majority of people.

I asked the tour guide if there were organizations or groups at the time who opposed this tradition on humanitarian or religious grounds. She didn’t know of any, but a quick google search points to some religious leaders who may have spoke out against the games. My thought was that if the Greeks in Delphi were entertained by sporting competitions, art and music, then ancient times were not entirely bloodthirsty. There must have at least been pockets of citizens opposed to the practice.

After the Colosseum we walked past several Triumph Arches, built to celebrate military victories, then up to the Palatine hill where the Emperor’s palace was located. The tour ended at the Roman Forum, the center of commercial and civic activity in Rome. Our guide had many supplemental drawings to show us how the area would have looked when the buildings were intact.

At one point, we saw the remains of a colossal statue: a single toe. I was reminded of the poem “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley with the line “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

The contrast between the Ancient Greeks’ celebration of science, art, philosophy and music in Delphi next to the Roman celebration of violence and bloodshed at the Colosseum made me pause.

We took time for lunch and then Sarah returned to the Forum to spend more time exploring there and then to visit another site. I went back to the apartment to regroup. After a short rest and some hydration I ventured out again. I walked back through the Jewish ghetto and visited the ruins of the Teatro Marcello and the Temple of Apollo.

I walked back towards the Forum and found the Piazza del Campidoglio, a square designed by Michaelangelo. The back of the main tower building looks out over the ruins of the Roman Forum.

Next to the piazza is the building I used as a landmark to help navigate to/from our apartment, the Victor Emmanuel Monument (Altare dells Patria). I walked by to get a closer look at this magnificent building.

After my little outing, I met Sarah back at the apartment and we walked back to the Jewish ghetto for dinner at the Nonna Betta kosher style restaurant. We tried the famous Jewish style artichokes (their slogan is “Life is too short to have the wrong Jewish style artichoke”). I had grilled eggplant Parmesan and we split a small bottle of kosher Italian white wine.

After dinner we walked across another bridge to attempt to find a park that is supposed to have spectacular sunset views. As we walked past the Teatro Marcello, there was an opera being performed outside. From there we walked to the river and got a lovely view from the bridge. Then it got dark, and we somehow got horribly lost. At this point, we had walked close to 9 miles throughout the day. We were both exhausted and the neighborhood was dark and deserted. We took the easy way out and hailed a taxi back to the apartment.

*Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Rome: The Vatican and Trestavere

origamiunicorn ♦ August 6, 2019 ♦ Leave a comment

Sarah booked tickets for us on a breakfast tour of the Vatican. It was supposed to include a walk through the Sistine Chapel before it opened to the public in the morning, but tour was changed to have the breakfast first. We took a cab to Vatican City, met up with our guide, Uta, and went for a breakfast buffet.

For the first time in the trip, we saw rain. The oppressive heat dissipated and despite getting drizzled on, the raindrops felt refreshing. The grey sky against the classic buildings and the wet cobblestones gave me another perspective of Rome, maybe even more lovely than Rome in the sunshine.

After breakfast we toured the Vatican museum and Uta gave us some history and pointed out the different buildings on the grounds.

Heading into the Sistine Chapel, Uta gave us a handout that showed the layout of Michaelangelo’s artwork and talked through what we were going to see in the Sistine chapel. It was good to get the information ahead of time because there is no talking allowed in the Chapel (also no picture taking). It was very crowded inside, but since most of the artwork people were there to see is on the ceiling, the crowds were not much of a problem.

There is a whole lot to look at there. I focused on a few specific areas. Almost all of the pictures on the ceiling are biblical in nature, but there are four sections with paintings of Sybils, The Sybils are oracles from Greek mythology, definitely not Judeo-Christian. I was also particularly interested because they are all female, and because we had just visited Delphi a few days earlier and learned about the Sybils there.

After the Sistine Chapel, we toured the apartments of the prior popes. Those rooms now house modern art collections with works by Marc Chagall and Ben Shahn. From there we went to St Peter’s Basilica, one of the largest cathedrals in the world. The interior is absolutely stunning, but the highlight for me was seeing the Pieta.

I am not a Christian but I appreciate the teachings of Jesus and what an incredible, compassionate, selfless man he was and the pain of his death in his followers and his mother. The sculpture of a mother holding her dead son, the tragedy, the significance, told by one of the greatest artists – I was moved to tears. I didn’t take
a photograph because I didn’t feel like I could do it justice from behind the plexiglass (several years ago someone tried to destroy the sculpture with a hammer). This is a photo from michaelangelo-gallery.com.

We toured around the entire church and then I returned to spend more time at the Pieta.
The tour was over at this point, but we were free to stay as long as we wanted. We bought tickets to climb to the top of the dome. It was not quite as thrilling as Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence, but we were also able tonwalk around the middle, up close to the mosaics, and the cupola on top had spectacular views of Rome.

From the Vatican, we walked to a restaurant that Sarah’s friend had recommended, Trattoria Lilli. We each had delicious meals. Mine was Ravioli di ricotta e spinach, con burro e salvia, i.e., ricotta and spinach ravioli with butter and sage. The sage was fresh and almost spicy and the ravioli was perfect.

We decided to split up after lunch. Sarah wanted to visit a museum of Capuchin monks. I wanted to take a short nap. We met back at the apartment late afternoon and walked across the river to an area of Rome called Trestavere. To get there, we walked through the Jewish Ghetto area to the turtle fountain. Stay tuned for a separate blog post about the ghetto. We crossed the river right around sunset and got a spectacular view.

In Trestavere, we tried to find a bakery that had been recommended, but when we found it, there was a sign in front that it was closed until the fall. We switched gears and instead went to another restaurant that Sarah’s friend suggested, Trattoria da Teo. I felt like I’d had enough pasta for awhile so I ordered tuna with tomatoes and arugula. The fish was cooked perfectly, seared on the outside, raw on the inside.

We had another morning tour scheduled so we called it a night after dinner.

Rome: Arrival

origamiunicorn ♦ August 4, 2019 ♦ Leave a comment

Sad to say goodbye to Florence. After a rush job of packing, we hopped on a train to Rome. Of all the ways to travel, train is my favorite. Easy, fast, comfortable, and I love to just stare out the window. In this case, I was looking at vibrant green Tuscan farms and villas with brightly colored tile roofs.

We arrived in Rome around noon and took a cab to our place. The cab driver pointed out sites on the way. The city looks nothing like Florence or New York or Boston. Lots of buildings but no skyscrapers. Ancient ruins next to traditional looking buildings housing modern stores. Cobblestone streets that are so narrow it seems like no car could fit, but through which our taxi driver went careening down.

Our room was in a building nested in a maze of tiny streets. It’s a very small two bedroom apartment with a cute and efficient kitchenette. We couldn’t check in yet so we left our luggage and headed out to explore.

We took a short walk to the Pantheon, a former Roman temple which is now a Catholic Church. The beautiful, ornate marble floors and walls are topped by the worlds largest unreinforced concrete dome. Next to the ornateness of the floors and walls, the dome looks almost austere. At the center is a hole (oculus).

Pantheon dome

We stopped for lunch at a small cafe and escaped from the extreme heat. After a little energy boost, we walked to the famous Trevi fountain. Like many of the sights so far in Italy, the best way to describe it is “extra”. I found it a little overwhelming with the crowds and the heat so we didn’t stay long.

We had a little time to pick up some groceries and refresh at the apartment before taking a cab to the Borghese museum where we had a 6:30 reservation. The Borghese museum is home to some of the most famous Bernini marble sculptures. Photography is prohibited, but I’ll include some downloaded photos.

The Bernini sculptures are stunning. My reaction was similar to seeing Michaelangelo’s David: beyond the craftsmanship and realism, the statues seem alive. Bernini not only captures the physical detail, but the expressions, postures, gestures, that make the figures seem human. Words and photos can’t quite do it justice. I’m so thankful to have had the fortune of seeing them in person. This is 100% due to my sister who not only introduced me to Bernini, but organized every part of the research and scheduling and ticket purchase to get there.

After the Borghese we walked to the university area and found a restaurant we had read about, Al Forno della Soffitta. I got fried rice balls (called suppli) and a hearty salad with artichoke hearts, olives, corn, etc.

We walked back to the apartment from there as we needed to get some sleep before our early morning breakfast at the Vatican the next day!

Florence: Day 2

origamiunicorn ♦ August 1, 2019 ♦ Leave a comment

I woke up at 5:30 am this morning and sat on the balcony with my espresso. A perfect start to the day and a lovely sunrise.

Today we had a full itinerary planned starting with breakfast at Piazza della Signoria. Brioche, cappuccino and fresh orange juice while looking out a the piazza.

In the square there is a replica of David, Poseidon fountain, Perseus holding Medusa’s head, several sculptures of the Rape of the Sabine Women, Hercules fighting the centaur, Menelaus & Patroclus. A more modern looking sculpture, a dodecahedron tribute to da Vinci, is a strange contrast next to the older, traditional sculptures.

As early as we were there, the square was relatively quiet. We could walk around freely and spend as much time as we liked looking at the statues. We meandered over to the Cathedral of Santa Croce and got tickets for entry. Everywhere you look there is some over-the-top display: high ceilings, stained glass, marble inlays, religious frescoes. Lining the edges of the cathedral are memorial statues for famous deceased people seemingly with an association to Florence, from Marconi to Macchiavelli, from Dante to Florence Nightingale, to Galileo Galilei, who I particularly wanted to pay my respect to.

Next to the cathedral is a cloister designed by Brunelleschi. It has a simpler look compared with the cathedral. Part of the ceiling is a painting of some of the constellations.

After the Cathedral, Sarah wanted to go for a walk and I needed a quick rest, so we split up and then met back at the Piazza for lunch. We ate outside again. I had an unbelievable pizza with burrata cheese, sundried tomatoes and arugula, one of the best meals so far.

After lunch we had tickets for the Uffizi museum. We had to be there at a specific time window. We agreed to split up and meet in the cafe later. The museum is huge and overwhelming. A main hall with mazes of rooms off it. I focused mainly on the sculptures but also found some paintings that caught my eye.

After I had walked all the floors, I made my way to the cafe and sat outside at a table in the shade. I treated myself to Gelato .. a huge bowl of lemon, strawberry and vanilla topped with whipped cream and cherry sauce.

Sarah met me eventually and we talked about our favorites pieces and what we wanted to do next. We took a leisurely stroll across the Arno river on the Ponte Vecchio. We got tickets for the Boboli Gardens and found some shady paths to walk along. We climbed up several staircases to a sweeping view of Florence and then walked down along some narrow tree-lines paths. Near the exit we took a side path and found a huge grotto sculpture with stone seaweed hanging down and an underwater look.

After the gardens, we walked further down the river to a neighborhood near Piazzale Michaelangelo. We happened in a strange shop/museum that had a music box playing loudly so we peeked in. Bizarre, oversized finger rings with skulls and creature, mysterious mechanical sculptures with gears and weights, a diving helmet that you could peek into to see an ethereal seadragon / seahorse floating. Alessandro Dari

After that we found another outdoor restaurant for dinner, this time I got pasta with porcini mushrooms. Sarah and I split up again after dinner. She wanted to walk up to the Piazzale Michaelangelo and I wanted to go back to the apartment to shower and pack. I walked back down a different bridge and saw the sunset as I walked back along the Arno.

Florence: Day 1

origamiunicorn ♦ July 31, 2019 ♦ Leave a comment

We said goodbye to Athens in the morning and then took a couple of short flights to get to Florence. We could see Brunelleschi’s Dome from the air as we landed. A short cab ride and we arrived at our building. Our room is on the 4th floor with lovely balcony view.

We found a specialty grocery, Pegna del 1860, and bought some snacks to have in our room. Cheese, crackers and jam and then a one block walk to the Duomo. We had tickets to climb to the dome at 6:30.

I have some pictures below but none can come close to describing this experience. To get to the top of the dome, you must climb 463 stone steps. These narrow, steep and often winding staircases were made for the workers who maintained the cathedral. The way is dotted with tiny windows looking out at Florence.

About halfway up, you leave the dark stairs and come out inside the dome where there is a walkway around the circumference. You can look down for a dizzying view of the cathedral below. You can look across and above at the frescoes painted in the inside of the dome.

The frescoes include horribly disturbing images of Hell. My legs already felt weak from vertigo and the imagery made me feel slightly queasy. However, the magnitude and beauty of the engineering and architecture overwhelmed me with joy. I got choked up, I laughed with happiness, I clapped my hands. I attempted a couple of pictures but they don’t come close to capturing it.

After walking around part of the circumference we went back into the network of stairs. At this point the path goes between the inner and outer domes and then up to the cupola on top. I was afraid to go up the last bit to the exposed area in top so I hung back and waited, while Sarah ventured up. A kind man stopped to talk to me on his way down. He assured me that there was room to move around away from the edge. He said, “you came all this way, maybe just try a quick look?” That convinced me and I climbed the last stairs and gingerly stepped out onto the top of the dome. The view was stunning. I have no photos because I was clinging to the stone wall at the center to get as far away from the edge as possible. I looked out, I breathed, I found my sister, and then I went back down to wait for her. She sent me a couple of her photos to add.

Easy walk to the bottom with a a second stop inside to look at the frescoes. Back outside we were sweaty and still slightly out of breath. What better way to process the experience than with some gelato? We sat on a bench in front of the dome and talked about what we had experienced.

I am not a very religious person and I found it hard to understand why the graphic and brutal images of Hell would be desirable in a holy place of worship. On the other hand, religious faith inspired artists and engineers to create some of the most beautiful artwork and innovative constructions in the world. Lots to ponder but even as I write this I’m still overwhelmed by the experience of being inside the duomo.

Energized by the Duomo experience and the gelato we decided to walk to Galleria dell’Accademia to try to see Michaelangelo’s David. There was no line and we got in quickly. I was honestly expecting to be underwhelmed. The images of David are so pervasive almost to the point of being a cliche. I figured I’d be too jaded to be as stunned as I ended up being.

When we turned the corner to see it, I stopped and stared. It’s a marble statue that somehow has a life to it. From the veins in the hand to the toenails to the head slightly turned, construction is brilliant and conveys softness and movement and humanity. But even more than that, what struck me was David’s face. He has the slightest look of concern in his brow, perhaps a twinge of adrenaline from fear or victory. There is some speculation as to whether the sculpture was meant to be before or after killing Goliath. He looks contemplative, perhaps strategizing, or realizing that his life and path have now been permanently altered. There is also a hint of disdain, confidence, assurance.

I viewed David from different angles, left the room and came back, sat on a bench and stared. I didn’t expect to be as blown away as I was.

We looked around at the other sculptures in the museum and then returned for a final goodbye.

We sat at a restaurant outside. I got a vegetarian pizza and a glass of wine.

Back at our room I FaceTimed my kids, showed them then view from the balcony, had a glass of Chianti and crashed hard.